Mounting arrangement for coin tubes and the like



Dec. 14, 1965 M. J. SHOEMAKER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR COIN TUBES AND THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1963 FIG: 2

INVENTOR. MONTGOMERY J.SHOEMAKER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,223,314 MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR COIN TUBES AND THE LIKE Montgomery J. Shoemaker, 130 W. River Road, Olean, N.Y. Filed Mar. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 262,674 2 Claims. (Cl. 232-) This invention relates generally to the mounting and support art, and more specifically to a new and useful arrangement for mounting a member such as a coin tube in a manner facilitating removal and remounting thereof.

While not necessarily limited thereto, my invention is particularly concerned with the problem of mounting a normally upright coin tube in such a manner that it is locked against removal, while being readily released to empty the tube.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a mounting and locking arrangement for coin tubes and the like, which is readily assembled, which holds the tube locked in assembled position, and which is readily manipulated to permit disassembly of the tube, all in an extremely simple and inexpensive construction.

A coin bank constructed in accordance with my invention is characterized, in one aspect thereof, by the provision of a normally generally upright base, a pair of mounting blocks carried by the base in vertically spaced relation, a coin tube having its upper and lower ends releasably engaging the respective ones of the blocks for being supported thereby, the tube being shiftable upwardly out of engagement with the lower block and thereafter shiftable laterally and downwardly out of engagement with the upper block, removable lock pin means extending across the upper tube end and normally blocking such upward shifting of the tube, and means for inserting coins in the upper tube end when tube is blocked by the pin means.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and characterizing features of my invention will become clearly apparent from the ensuing detailed description of an illustrative, presently preferred embodiment thereof, taken together with the accompanying drawing showing the same wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the various views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a coin bank of my invention, showing the coin tube locked in assembled position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof, on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, transverse sectional view thereof, taken about on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 but with the lock pin removed.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative embodiment depicted in the accompanying drawing, there is shown a coin bank of my invention having a mounting base 1, adapted normally to be held in an upright position. To this end, base board 1, which can be of any desired material, can be provided with an opening 2 for hanging on a wall. Appropriate ornamentation and indicia, not shown, can be provided on base board 1, if desired.

A coin tube 3 is mounted on board 1. Tube 3 is of suitable material, preferably a transparent plastic. open at its upper end, to receive coins therethrough, and preferably being closed at its lower end, as by a wooden plug, not shown. For convenience in manufacture, tube 3 initially comprises merely a severed length of tubing of appropriate diameter for the intended coin size. Coin tube 3 is supported by and between a pair of mounting blocks, comprising an upper block 4 having a downwardly opening recess 5 therein, and a lower block 6 having an upwardly opening recess 7 therein. Blocks 4 and 6 are secured to base 1 by any suitable fastening means,

3,223,3l4 Patented Dec. 14, I865 such as screws, not shown. The lower end of coin tube 3 slip-fits into the lower, upwardly facing recess 7, while the upper end of the coin tube is received within the downwardly facing, upper recess 5 which is of substantially greater diameter than coin tube 3, to provide lateral clearance for a purpose to be described. Thus, in use, tube 3 is vertically supported at its lower end by lower block 6, and laterally supported at its upper end by upper block 4.

The inner end of upper recess 5, comprising the top wall 8 of upper mounting block 4, is spaced a substantial distance from the upper end of coin tube 3 when the parts are in their normal, assembled position with the lower end of tube 3 seated in recess 7. This is to provide clearance for release and removal of tube 3, as Will be described, and also provides room for a locking pin 9 extending chordwise across recess 5, through opposed side wall openings 10 in upper block 4. Pin 9 has an enlarged head 11 at one end, engaging one side of block 4 exteriorly thereof, and extends through the opposite side wall of block 4. The opposite end of pin 9 is apertured to receive therethrough the shackle 12 of a padlock 13. Thus, removal of pin 9 normally is prevented by lock 13.

Top wall 8 of upper block 4 is provided with a slot 14 therethrough, for inserting coins into tube 3 which normally occupies position shown in full lines in the drawing. Slot 14 is centered, relative to tube 3. However, pin 9 is positioned off center, parallel to the lengthwise axis of slot 14 in plan view. This is done, to insure that pin 9 does not interfere with the insertion of coins through slot 14, and dropping thereof into tube 3.

Pin 9 prevents upward movement of coin tube 3 toward top Wall 8, whereby the coin tube normally is locked in its assembled position shown in FIG. 1 and in full lines in FIG. 3. However, when it is desired to empty the tube, padlock 13 is removed from the apertured end of pin 9, and pin 9 is removed by sliding it out of block 4 and out of blocking relation to tube 3. Tube 3 then can be raised, by sliding it upwardly in recess 5, toward top wall 8, to remove the lower tube end from recess 7. When in this position tube 3 can be canted out of alinement with block 6, as to the position indicated in phantom in FIG. 3, whereby the lower tube end is clear of block 6. Recess 5 is of sufliciently larger diameter than tube 3, to enable such canting of the latter in block 4. If the tube has an open lower end, the coins can be permitted to fall outwardly into the hand, or a convenient receptacle. If the lower tube end is closed, as is preferred, the tube is slid downwardly out of upper block 4, for being inverted to empty the tube.

During initial assembly, and when it is desired to reassemble the tube in the blocks, it is simply slid into the upper block recess 5, to the position indicated in phantom in FIG. 3, and then realigned with block 6 in parallelism With base board 1. Tube 3 then is permitted to slide downwardly, into recess 7 of lower block 6. Pin 9 then is inserted, or reinserted across the upper end of tube 3, to lock the same in assembled position.

Accordingly, it is seen that my invention fully accomplishes its intended objects. While I have disclosed and described in detail only one, presently preferred embodiment, that has been done by Way of illustration, and not limitation.

Having fully disclosed and completely described my invention, and its mode of operation, what I claim as new is:

1. A coin bank comprising, a normally generally upright base, a pair of mounting blocks carried by said base in vertically spaced relation, the lower one of said blocks having an upwardly opening recess therein, a coin tube slip-fitting at its lower end into said upwardly opening recess for being vertically supported by said lower block,

the upper one of said blocks having a downwardly opening recess therein, the upper end of said tube slip-fitting into said downwardly opening recess when said lower tube end is slip-fitted into said upwardly opening recess whereby said upper tube end is laterally supported by said upper block, said tube being movable upwardly in said downwardly opening recess to a release position wherein said lower tube end is removed from said upwardly opening recess, said upper block loosely confining said upper tube end enabling said lower tube end to be swung clear of said lower block when said tube is in said release position, said tube thereupon being movable out of and into said downwardly opening recess, said upper block having a top wall with an elongated slot therethrough into said downwardly opening recess, said slot being alined generally centrally of said tube in plan view, a removable lock pin extending through said upper block and said downwardly opening recess across said upper tube end, said lock pin being laterally offset from said slot in generally parallel relation thereto and blocking movement of said tube into said release position, and

releasable lock means preventing removal of said pin from blocking position relative to said tube.

2. A coin bank as set forth in claim 1, wherein said lock pin is headed at one end and has an aperture through the other end thereof, and wherein said releasable lock means includes a removable lock shackle through said aperture.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 438,735 10/1890 Miller 70-61 1,742,237 1/ 1930 Daugherty 248-311 2,482,240 9/1949 Bowman 70-62 2,883,765 4/1959 Blaine 232-4 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,891 6/ 1921 Denmark. 505,434 5/1939 Great Britain.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A COIN BANK COMPRISING, A NORMALLY GENERALLY UPRIGHT BASE, A PAIR OF MOUNTING BLOCKS CARRIED BY SAID BASE IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION, THE LOWER ONE OF SAID BLOCKS HAVING AN UPWARDLY OPENING RECESS THEREIN, A COIN TUBE SLIP-FITTING AT ITS LOWER END INTO SAID UPWARDLY OPENING RECESS FOR BEING VERTICALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID LOWER BLOCK, THE UPPER ONE OF SAID BLOCKS HAVING A DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS THEREIN, THE UPPER END OF SAID TUBE SLIP-FITTING INTO SAID DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS WHEN SAID LOWER TUBE END IS SLIP-FITTED INTO SAID UPWARDLY OPENING RECESS WHEREBY SAID UPPER TUBE END IS LATERALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID UPPER BLOCK, SAID TUBE BEING MOVABLE UPWARDLY IN SAID DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS TO A RELEASE POSITION WHEREIN SAID LOWER TUBE END IS REMOVED FROM SAID UPWARLDY OPENING RECESS, SAID UPPER BLOCK LOOSELY CONFINING SAID UPPER TUBE END ENABLING SAID LOWER TUBE END TO E SWUNG CLEAR OF SAID LOWER BLOCK WHEN SAID TUBE IS IN SAID RELEASE POSITION, SAID TUBE THEREUPON BEING MOVABLE OUT OF AND INTO SAID DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS, SAID UPPER BLOCK HAVING A TOP WALL WITH AN ELONGATED SLOT THERETHROUGH INTO SAID DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS, SAID SLOT BEING ALINED GENERALLY CENTRALLY OF SAID TUBE IN PLAN VIEW, A REMOVABLE LOCK PIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID UPPER BLOCK AND SAID DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS ACROSS SAID UPPER TUBE END, SAID LOCK PIN BEING LATERALLY OFFSET FROM SAID SLOT IN GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION THERETO AND BLOCKING MOVEMENT OF SAID TUBE INTO SAID RELEASE POSITION, AND RELEASABLE LOCK MEANS PREVENTING REMOVAL OF SAID PIN FROM BLOCKING POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID TUBE. 